How to Make Gum Paste

This Gum Paste recipe is the one given by my teacher in the Cake Decoration Course Level 1, that I am taken in UWI (University of the West Indies) Open Campus in  Trinidad.

I has done this gum paste a couple times an the result is very good.  And the best thing is that you may find all the ingredients right in your kitchen or just in the super market without any need to go to an Cake Decorating Shop.

Ingredients:
4 tbs. water - measured
1 tbs. gelatin
1 level tbs. of shortening
1-1/2 tbs. corn syrup.
1 lb. icing sugar + 1 pot spoon


Method:
 

Some of the Ingredients used



1. Set stove on medium to low heat.





Mix of Gelatin, shortening & water





My double boiler technique

2. Using a double boiler, add water and sprinkler the gelatin  and dissolve completely, using a wooden spoon. Then add the shortening and the corn syrup. Keep stirring until mixture melt.

All ingredients dissolved

3. Gradually add the icing sugar, until it rich the consistency of a paste, and you can make easily a ball and nothing stick in your hand, the mixture most be soft, smooth and easy to work with, like "play doh".

Adding Sugar little by little



More sugar and more sugar



...And more sugar



This is how the mix look ... you may have to put it on the counter to work it



Almost ready, just one more step

4. Put the gum past in an airtight container, damp the top with a small amount of water. Put it in the refrigerator and leave for 24 hours to mature.

5. Next day the mix is ready to be colored as needed.





I colored my gum paste and I put it in a plastic bag



I was trying to make flowers, this is  my first one



Easy Technique to Decorate with Royal Icing

You may not be familiar with using Royal Icing to decorate the entire cake, but here in Trinidad & Tobago we use Royal Icing to decorate the cake and not only for the details, in fact the Buttercream frosting is not that popular. And I will tell you why... in this weather, the buttercream frosting will melt almost in not time. I am telling yo from experience, while the Royal Icing will last on the cake perfect.

In my last assignment in the Cake Decoration Class was to decorate a 8", 2 tier cake with filling. I was looking in my mind for an easy way to decorate the cake, but good looking and fresh. We usually cover the cake with the icing, then do borders, and put some flowers on top or that kind of things, I was looking for something more edgy.

I created this design using a tip No. 2D, 3 cups of royal icing medium consistency. I used a dark pink color for the icing, (you will appreciate more in the slice cake below), of course a pastry bag. This tip does not require to use a coupler.

Technique: 

1.COVER ONLY THE TOP of the cake with icing (use a lot) to avoid problems with the crumbs. The trick to kipping crumbs out of your icing is gliding your spatula on the icing , and do not allow  to touch the surface of the cake. Put the icing on the center of the cake and spread across the top, pushing towar the edges. Then smooth sides by holding the spatula upright with the edge against to the sides, slowly spining the turntable without lifting the spatula from the cake surface. Return excess icing to the bowl. - Decorating Cakes, Wilton

2. PREPARE THE BAG: Use the pastry bag without a coupler, cut 3/4 inch off the end of the bag, then drop the tip (2D) in, narrow end first. Note: the icing will hold the tip in place. Load the bag with icing.

3. DOING THE SIDES: Using the bag at 6:00 pm. With the tip on the top border of the cake. Apply pression to the bag (medium) and pipe down moving your hand in a zig-zag motion while you are descending . Stop applying pressure when you reach the base of the cake.

You can make this design with Buttercream too!!

Butter Sponge Cake Recipe

This is the recipe given by my Teacher at the Cake Decoration Course Level 1, at UWI Open Campus.  the mix is enough to make 12 cup cakes and a 6-in cake, well that it is what I made with this mix. The cake is similar to the Moist Yellow Cake but a little bit more spongy and it is not that sweet. This is a basic cake and you can make variation from this recipe as you wish.

I made this cake for my Petunia Decoration Cake and my cup cake with buttercream frosting. And I sprinkler the frosting with those nice color little candies. I adde to the mix some almods but that is optional Enjoy it!!!

All my friends loved the cup cakes and the frosting. I found that they look so cute!!!



Ingredients.
1 lb margarine
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
4-1/2 cups flour
6 tsp baking powder
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla essence

Optional: almonds and risings

1. Grease and paper -6" cake pan and a set of 12 cupcake pan- with greaseproof paper.  Brush with melted margarine or shortening. Sift dry ingredients.
2. Measure accurately, have all ingredients at hand before starting to make the cake.
3. In a mixing bowl mix the butter with the sugar  with the electrical mixer until is soft and light, add sugar gradually and continue creaming until the mixture is light and fluffy.
4. Whip eggs in another bowl until thick and leave a "ribbon" when beater is drawn across the top.
5. Pour at once the eggs into creamed butter and sugar, and fold into creamed butter and sugar, if mixture shown signs of curdling, fold a little flour in.
6. Fold flour and milk into mixture alternately, allowing flour to be the last addition.

More Directions:

• For cup cakes, line the cup cake pan, fill the liners 1/2 way. Pre-heat the oven at 400 F, and place the cup cake on the top shelf of the oven. Bake until they are light brown on the sides of the tin. Cake most be just light brown.
• For cake, reduce the oven at 350 F. Place cake on the top shelf  of the oven do not allow the cake pan touch the side of the oven. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until skewer  inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven, place on a cake cooler, leave for 15 minutes before removing from tins.

Use buttercream to decorate cup cakes. Tip No. 2D (a big drop flower tip, perfect for this type of decoration)

The cup cakes  before frosting

My beautiful decorated cup cakes with vanilla buttercream

The decorated cupcakes from on top

Coming out from the oven

I add some almods and risins on top before baking

How to Make Character Cakes

The character cake is one of the most popular cakes, that's why my teacher wanted to show us how to make it. This type of cake is very popular for children parties and it is very easy to decorate. you just need to get  a character cake pan, some icing and gel color and start practicing.

There are basically 2 techniques used for character cakes. Definitions and techniques has been taken from  the book Decorating Cakes by Wilton. Here the techniques:

OUTLINE: Character cakes are usually outlined first, then piped with the start or any other technique used. Outline facial features, outline the shape of the character, etc.

Tip No. 3

Icing Consistancy: Thin

Bag Position: 45 degrees

Hold Tip: slightly above surface.

START FILLING IN:  The character cake are usually decorated with stars. Those stars need to  be be very close together, stars require so much piping from the same bag, It is a good idea to keep  replenishing the icing. Change the icing when soft, otherwise the stars will eventually be poorly defined.

Tip No. 16

Icing Consistancy: Medium

Bag Position: 90 degrees, straight up

Hold Tip: 1/4 inch above surface

Very Important: when you fill the character cake with the stars, pipe a row of stars evenly and close together, adjusting the tip position slightly each time

MY LITTLE HERO CAKE

 

My T&T Astro Kid

For this cake I use a Little Hero Pan from Wilton, I loved this pan since I saw it in the store because g



Astro Boy by Wilton - Little Hero Pan





ave me 4 decoration options, the fire fighter, the soldier boy, Astro Kid and a police. I am the mother of a 15 month old boy, so this pan is the right choice for me. I decided to make the Astro Kid.

The good thing about Wilton Character Cake Pans is that they came with instructions for baking, how to use the decorating bag and couple, recipe  for butter cream icing, how to decorate the cake and every thing you will need to complete the project.

For this project I used a chocolate cake mix , but you can use your favorite recipe, I suggest you the moist yellow cake, it is very good all the time. Or your favorite chocolate cake recipe.

I did not made it quite like in the instruction, but here you have the list of color fromWilton Little Hero Pan. I followed the instruction but due to availability I used other colors or I changed the design somehow. But I love my own T&T Astro Kid. Other Ideas how to use the same cake pan, see here.

NOTE: follow the baking instruction that comes with the cake pan, very important!!!

You will need:
Tips:
# 3 for outline the cake
# 16 (star tip) for the face
# 18 for the entire body

Make 5  cups of butter cream icing, tint them with food color in gel as  follow
1-1/4 cup blue  (all around the cake and outline the cake)
1 cup dark blue - use small amount of black (for the shoes and part of the arm shirt)
1/4 cup black (eyes, mouth, hair)
1/2 cup copper (I combined red and yellow in a very small proportion to get the skin color)
1/4 cups yellow (for the stars around the boy and around the head)
1-1/2 cup of white (for the body)

Mix very well the colors in separate containers, for bright colors add color with a toothpick. Add color and mix properly until you get the color that you expect, for bright color you have to add a lot of this color gel.

...Well I did not read all the instruction, but I should had trimmed the ears, hose and arm extension off the cake, in other words, whatever thing that you do not need from the original cake design.
.

1. Outline the cake with tip # 3 (blue color), outline helmet, arms, shoes, legs, packets, etc.
2. With the star tip No. 18 and white butter cream start making stars and cover the cake, make sure that the stars are very close together and not pointing.

3. With the same star tip, but with dark blue color, fill the shoes area and the end of the arm shirt.

4. Add the stars around the body in yellow icing.

5. Add stars in blue (same color used to outline the body) around the head and on the sides, be careful to do not cover the "yellow stars".

6. Apply the copper color for the face, star tip # 16, leave space for the eyes. To make the nose, overpipe three layers of stars to build up the nose.

My beautiful Astro Boy almost done!!!

7. For the eyes, with Tip No. 3 and white icing  make a flat dot and then with the same tip # 3 and black icing make a small flat dot . With same tip outline the eyebrow and mouth.  Change tip to # 16 and make pull out stars to make the hair.
8. I use blue color and tip No. 3 to write T&T (Trinidad and Tobago)... I did not have any flag available at that time.

Here my lovely Astro Kid, I had such a good time decorating this cake, It is a lot of work when you are not accustom to squeeze the decorating bag so often, and my hand was hurting me. But I was happy with the final product.



My T&T Astro Kid


Pick a character cake for your next birthday and enjoy it the jurney!!!